UCL has entered into a collaborating agreement with Eisai to identify, validate and develop new therapeutics for treating neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other related disorders.

The collaboration will also be involved in evaluating the new therapeutics in proof-of-concept clinical trials.

To implement the development, the companies will form a Therapeutic Innovation Group (TIG), which will comprise scientists from both UCL and Eisai, responsible for the discovery and assessment of new therapeutic targets involved in neurological diseases.

The TIG will also be responsible for the co-development of completely new research areas of interest.

Eisai neuroscience product creation unit president Lynn Kramer said, "UCL's is a world-class academic institution with specialised research capabilities and we expect this exciting partnership to be very successful."

Eisai said UCL will receive milestones payments as projects progress as well as royalties on therapies successfully brought to market.

UCL vice-enterprise Stephen Caddick said, "This strategic alliance between UCL and Eisai combines research excellence, clinical insight and commercial expertise which will undoubtedly improve prospects for development of new treatments for patient benefits."